"Best" is a word that can mean many things. Cheapest? Fastest? Most reliable? I might say the best way is in a Ferarri convertible driven by a blonde in a swimsuit (-; But if this is not your idea of best then please add your requirements to the question to make it objective. Be aware that subjective questions do risk being closed.
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hippietrailApr 5 '12 at 11:33

I've just done a quick Google search which reveals there are indeed shuttle services from the Gold Coast airport to Byron Bay. But the Gold Coast is a huge area. Would a shuttle from the airport be OK? Otherwise I know at least and probably both of Greyhound and Premier bus/coach companies will also service that route from town centre to town centre. The train station in Byron Bay has been unused for some time.
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hippietrailApr 5 '12 at 11:39

If you want to keep the cost down, it might be cheaper to take a bus from Melbourne to Syndey, then a Sydney to Brisbane bus as far as Byron Bay - they all stop off there. With the right ticket, those buses can be pretty cheap
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GagravarrApr 9 '12 at 16:21

1 Answer
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Firstly you'll want to keep in mind that the "Gold Coast Airport" is not really on the Gold Coast - it's in Coolangatta (or more correctly, half of it is in Coolangatta, half of it is across the state border in Tweed Heads).

There are a few coach services between the Coolangatta/Tweed Heads areas and Byron Bay as a part of longer runs (eg, Brisbane -> Sydney), such as Greyhound. Although there are no trains to Byron, CountryLink does run a bus service from Tweed Heads. In both cases you'll need to get to wherever the bus picks up yourself - either via Taxi or a local shuttle bus.

There are also private shuttle companies that will go from the airport to Byron Bay, but they are expensive for just one person. eg, Gold Coast Shuttle will charge $75 for up to 2 people, and $20 for each additional person - not a bad price if there's at least 2 or 3 of you, but far more expensive than the other options if you're alone.

Your other option is to fly into Ballina and get a shuttle bus to Byron. eg, Xcede charge ~$15 each way from the "Ballina-Byron" airport (which is in Ballina!) to Byron Bay.